I Am Because We Are (Shorts Program) - w/ Live Q&A

A bold compilation of seven Pan-African narrative journeys of self-determination. Rooted in the intertwined principles of the African philosophy of Ubuntu: interconnectedness, compassion & empathy, respect & dignity, communal responsibility & solidarity, this mix of sci-fi, action/adventure, comedy, drama, psychological thriller, and animation, including LGBTQ+, mental health, and environmental-related issues, examines the resilience of Black bodies manifesting joy and sustainability while navigating grief, self-identity, and trauma.

Doors: 12pm | Screening: 12:30pm*

Q&A to follow with attending filmmakers.*

(1h 52min, DCP)

THE LINE UP (LISTED IN SCREENING ORDER):

LEGALLY BLACK*, Director Abai Peace

US, 14m (Web Series, Episodes 1 & 2) - After her father’s death, fashion consultant Jade Black spirals into alcoholism. As her life unravels, she must choose whether to keep spiraling or reclaim her spark with humor and resilience.
TRAILER

TIME SETTERS*, Director Oliver Mack Calhoun

US, 26m (Pilot) - A grief-stricken inventor (Fury) and a hardened ex-Marine (Vengeance) secretly lead the Time Setters, a covert group that alters history to save lives stolen by racial violence. When idealistic historian Marvin (Justice) joins their cause, he’s thrust into his first mission: traveling to 1955 Mississippi to save Emmett Till. Due to time travel not being an exact science, they run into obstacles and race against time to accomplish their mission for their version of social justice. Texas Premiere.
TRAILER

TWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE, Director Baz Sells

UK, 9m (Animation) - Edan (19) and Dula (18) navigate love, identity, and self-acceptance on a journey about coming into oneself and out to the world. Confronting fear, shame, and societal expectations, the boys rediscover a sense of belonging in their own paradise, in this celebration of queer love, vulnerability, and the power of embracing who you are. Texas Premiere.
TRAILER

THE INCONVENIENCE STORE, Director Ifeanyi Ezieme

US, 12m - At a remote gas station in Nowheresville, California, shopkeeper Hiro, stranded traveler Tonya and gruff trucker Ron collide in a heated altercation. When an emergency broadcast warns of extraterrestrial craft overhead—and a bleeding stranger stumbles in from the street—the group must decide whether to trust the approaching beings or prepare for a fight that could alter the fate of the universe. Texas Premiere.

Producer: Fabiola Rodriguez; Executive Producers: Issa Rae, Deniese Davis, Talitha Watkins, Jamari Perry, Danielle Robinson; Colour Creative

TRAILER

COMPLICATED GRIEF, Directed Julius Amedume

Ghana, Switzerland UK, 26m - A mysterious gift from beyond crosses continents to a secluded chalet, where the fate of a couple unfolds in an unexpected and unsettling way. Regional Premiere.

SPILLED MILK, Director Jared Leaf

US, 13m - What happened to all those dads that went to the store to get milk and never came home? A father’s late-night trip to the store leads him into an encounter with a mysterious Milk Man, and things quickly go sour. Texas Premiere.
Cast: J Alphonse Nicholson, Jerry O’Connell, Brandon Perea, Rodney Van Johnson, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi
Executive Producers: (MonkeyPaw) Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Dana Gills, Keisha Senter, Kesila Childers

TRAILER

THE BLACK BART OF TACO KING # 17*, Director Rickey Larke

US, 12m - A suave larcenist searches for a new partner at a dive bar and finds the perfect Bonnie to his Clyde. He takes her to dinner to put her to the test, yet she has all the answers … and more. Texas Premiere.
TRAILER

About the Film Series:

AFS welcomes Los Angeles’ famed Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) for its fourth annual Austin series, showcasing powerful Black stories from across the globe. From July 30 to August 2, AFS and PAFF present a series of acclaimed features, short films, filmmaker Q&As, and a free filmmaker panel. Learn more and purchase tickets now at AustinFilm.org/PAFF.

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